Updates from the Leading Association for the Cleaning Industry Worldwide

ISSA & CIRI Partner

ISSA and the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) have agreed to enter a long-term partnership for the cooperative development of science-based cleaning standards that would develop industry data, training, measurement, and certification programs. The first initiative this joint partnership will undertake is to fund a series of independent research initiatives leading to the development of a Clean Standard for K-12 schools. The partnership supports one of the ISSA strategic initiatives as set forth by the ISSA Board of Directors: to identify the link between cleaning, science, and occupant health.

Said ISSA Executive Director John Garfinkel: “The ISSA project is to make the connection between science and cleaning for health. We are very pleased to fund such a worthwhile independent effort to identify and develop standards for cleanliness, utilizing a group of highly credentialed scientists and researchers. The CIRI Clean Standard Science Committee managing this much-needed research will be free from any outside influences or biases, including any from ISSA, CIRI, or the staff, board, or members of either organization.

“Many other facility-services industries have long been based in engineering and science while our industry has largely had to prove its public-health value based on assumptions and perceptions. Today, we want to remove any doubt about the benefits cleaning brings to facilities and their occupants, and we hope this initiative will bring the independent scientific verification many facility managers have been requesting.”

Following a significant period of laboratory and field testing, ISSA will lead the process of creating standards and certification based on the scientific findings, involving key stakeholders in the cleaning, facilities management, and education industries.

“Each organization will do what it does best during this project,” said CIRI Chairman Jim Harris. “CIRI will conduct research on measurement methods and current conditions in K-12 schools. ISSA will use the results as a basis for developing standards regarding what defines ‘clean’ in these very important and sensitive environments.”

The goal of the project is that individuals and organizations can then be certified with respect to their knowledge and use of methods that lead to measurable improvements in school cleanliness and hygiene, a topic of great concern to a large percentage of the public, especially those with children in K-12 environments or those who work within them.

The first update regarding this project is expected to be released at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2008, September 8-11, in Las Vegas, NV.

Missouri Legislature Passes Green Cleaning for Schools Bill

The Missouri legislature recently passed a bill that will require K–12 schools to establish a green cleaning policy and exclusively purchase and use “environmentally sensitive” cleaning products beginning with the 2009-10 school year.

Once signed by the governor, the Missouri legislation — modeled after the recently enacted Illinois Green Cleaning for Schools Act — will become the third state law to require green cleaning in schools.

The Missouri bill requires schools to implement a green cleaning program consistent with guidelines and specifications to be developed by the state department of health in conjunction with cleaning-industry representatives and others.

The guidelines will define and otherwise address environmentally sensitive products, such as cleaning-product formulations, jansan paper products, and equipment. In drafting the guidelines, the legislation requires the department of health to provide “multiple avenues” by which cleaning products may be determined to be environmentally sensitive.

Other State Green Cleaning Legislation

Legislation in Illinois (HB 4812) that would require every state-owned building to establish a green cleaning policy recently passed the Illinois House and has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee for consideration. The bill would require all state buildings to purchase and use environmentally sensitive cleaning products consistent with the guidelines recently issued by the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council for the purpose of implementing that state’s Green Cleaning for Schools Act.

Legislation in Maryland (HB 596) that would have required green cleaning in public schools failed to pass during the state’s 2008 legislative session.

Additional Information

ISSA has compiled a summary of the state, local, and federal government policies related to green cleaning product procurement. This document, entitled Green Cleaning Product Procurement Policies, Initiatives, and Requirements in the U.S., contains more than 50 pages of concise and invaluable information on the state of public policy on green cleaning initiatives. This document is available exclusively to ISSA members at www.issa.com/greenprocure.

Bill Balek is ISSA’s legislative affairs director. He can be reached at 847-982-0800; e-mail, bill@issa.com.